First, Check Your Electrical Panel
More South Shore and Cape Cod homeowners are switching from oil to heat pumps, buying electric vehicles, and adding backup generators. Each of those can be a smart move. But each one also asks more of your electrical panel, and that often doesn’t come up until the equipment has been ordered and the installer says, “Your panel can’t handle this.”
At Poissant Electrical Corp., we’d rather you know that before you commit. Here’s how to think about your panel when you’re planning your next big upgrade.
Your Panel Has a Budget, and Every Upgrade Spends Part of It
Think of your electrical service as a monthly budget. A 100-amp service is a smaller budget, and a 200-amp service is a larger one. Your existing lights, appliances, well pump, and water heater already take up part of it. Every new major appliance claims more.
The loads that use the most include:
- Ductless mini splits and heat pumps. These are very efficient, but replacing an oil or propane system with electric heat moves your entire heating load onto your electrical service.
- Level 2 EV chargers. These typically need a dedicated 40- to 60-amp circuit, and the car may charge for hours at a stretch.
- Standby generators. These require a transfer switch and, depending on the setup, a panel that can accommodate it.
- Hot tubs, pool equipment, and electric ranges. Each needs its own high-amperage circuit.
One of these may fit fine. Two or three together is where many older homes run into trouble.
What We Check Before Adding a Major Load
Before recommending anything, we do a load calculation. That’s a standard method for estimating how much capacity your home uses now and how much the new equipment will add. It tells us whether your current service has room, whether you’re close to the limit, or whether it’s time for more capacity.
We also check:
- Open breaker spaces. A panel can have enough amps but no physical space for new breakers.
- Your service size. Many older homes and converted summer cottages on the Cape still have 60- or 100-amp service.
- The condition of the panel itself. An old panel may not be the right place to add expensive new equipment.
A Full Panel Upgrade Isn’t Always the Only Answer
Homeowners are often surprised that they have more than one option. Depending on the load calculation, we may recommend:
- Keeping the existing panel if there’s enough capacity and space.
- Adding a subpanel if you need more breaker spaces but your service has capacity to spare.
- Load management, such as an EV charger that automatically reduces charging when the house is using a lot of power.
- Upgrading your service, often to 200 amps, when you’re planning several major loads or your current equipment is at its limit.
We’ll explain what each option costs and how long it will serve you, so you can plan in stages if that fits your budget better.
Panels That Deserve a Closer Look
Some panels should be evaluated no matter what you’re planning:
- Fuse boxes, which are still found in older South Shore homes.
- Panel brands with known safety concerns, including older Federal Pacific Electric (Stab-Lok) and Zinsco panels. These have been widely reported to have breakers that may not trip when they should.
- Panels showing corrosion. In coastal homes, salt air and basement moisture can cause rust on breakers and bus bars. That’s a common problem near the water and one to take seriously.
Many insurance companies and home inspectors also flag these panels during a home sale or policy renewal, so it helps to address them before they cause a delay.
Plan the Electrical Work Before the Equipment
If you’re thinking about a heat pump through Mass Save, an EV, or a generator for next storm season, call an electrician before you buy. A quick assessment tells you what your home can handle now, what it will need later, and how to coordinate the work so you’re not opening walls or scheduling power outages twice.
Poissant Electrical Corp. is a family-owned electrical contractor serving Plymouth, Barnstable, and Norfolk counties. We handle electrical panel upgrades, backup generator installation, ductless mini-split installation, and residential EV chargers, so we can plan the whole project with you instead of one piece at a time.
Contact us to schedule an assessment before your next big upgrade.
